A PBR-ticle
Anyone in Atlanta who ventures out to one of the city’s seedier neighborhoods (read: Little Five, EAV, or the Poncey-Highlands) has undoubtedly noticed the numerous PBR murals decorating the exterior walls of our favorite bars and businesses. Individual pieces have featured a broad range of themes and designs such as: androgynous hipsters slinging back a cold one, a dinosaur clasping the red, white and blue can in its claws, and elaborate patterns comprised of the Pabst logo. While I at first naively assumed the murals to be the work of a street artist with a real passion for cheap beer or a local graffiti crew with a love of iconic irony, when the murals became more widespread, elaborate, and numerous, I questioned the motives behind all of this.
There are a number of rumors circulating on the internets about how all of this came about. Rather than try to chase down a thread of truth from bloggers, Youtubers, or otherwise, I contacted Pabst Brewing Company directly. After thoroughly weaving my way through a maze of hyperlinks, I finally found a contact page. I emailed the human resources department to find out what was going on:
“Dear PBR, I love drinking you. Also, I am a journalist, and I would really like to know what’s going on with those murals you’re throwing up all over Atlanta. Sincerely, Jessica.”
Several days later (and much to my surprise) I received a phone call from Bryan Clarke, marketing director at Pabst, and here’s what I found out.
The murals came about from the volumes of PBR inspired fan art that the brewery received in the mail each year. Seeing so much talent and devotion (Bryan points out that devotion to the product is what unites Pabst drinkers) wasted like day old beer poured down the drain struck the good people up in Milwaukee as a tragedy. Thus an idea was born: run a contest for artists to submit PBR inspired drawings and paintings that would later be taken to the streets in an advertisement campaign brilliant enough to make Don Draper jealous. Fusing a growing nation-wide trend towards the legitimization of street art (see Living Walls Atlanta) with a desire to show that Pabst isn’t just an old man’s beer, the mural project was born.
Matt Klawon Tattooing
Each mural was originally a small scale piece done in a traditional media (no digital) which was transformed via city permits and a professional painting crew into a larger, unique, eye-catching ad. The guys in the Pabst marketing department chose to stay away from traditional advertisements such as television commercials or print promotions, so the paintings work as a creative avenue to get out the new, younger, and more diverse image of the product. While I was perhaps slower than most to catch on, the murals have been surfacing in Atlanta for the last three years and most are from pieces done by local artists. Furthermore, these artistic installments aren’t just here in Atlanta; they’re also in Tampa, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Nashville, Portland, etc.– about 15 cities in total.
Emma Howard & Matt Klawon
After learning more about the mural project, I wanted to meet the artists that made it possible. After a little creative facebooking, I was able to contact cartoonist Jeremy Townsend and arrange a meeting with him at Aurora coffee. Jeremy, a commissioned animator and long-time Pabst fan, moved to Atlanta several years ago after hurricane Katrina laid waste to his house in New Orleans. Jeremy submitted his painting to the Pabst contest without so much as a second thought, but when the company’s marketing executives contacted him several months later about purchasing the rights to the piece, Jeremy gladly accepted the offer to work with the legendary brewery. Jeremy’s painting can now be found locally (It’s the one on the side of Corner Tavern in Little Five featuring the suited-up PBR can running) as well as in Phoenix. His artwork has been displayed at Eyedrum, WonderRoot, and at a ComicCon related show at the Sutra Gallery in San Diego, and you can read more about him on his blog. Other local artists include Matt Klawon, Kristina Dalton, and Ian Brown.
What I learned from my research is this– a lot of people love beer. And not just any beer, this beer– Pabst Blue Ribbon. On a personal note, the very first drink your humble author legally purchased was a 16 ounce PBR. During my phone conversation with Bryan, I could hear how excited he was about this product and about promoting it (he half-way launched into Dennis Hopper’s infamous rant from Blue Velvet but stopped for the sake of modesty). The Pabst website hosts hundreds of examples of fan art ranging from tattoos to latch-hook rugs varying in hilarity and impressiveness. And from personal experience, I know that the loyal local following alone can swill enough cans to ensure the future existence of everyone’s favorite tall boy.
So I conclude my article with a toast to you, PBR. Thanks for the all good times, the artistic inspiration, and the morning-after hangovers.
Photo Credit: Tim Song